Why Apple has a Winner on their Hands with the iPad

It really is touching the future.. Industry Pundits worldwide are already calling the iPad a big failure. People have gone on to say that the iPhone was one of the last great things we would ever see from the iconic Steve Jobs. The iPad in many ways is something that is radically new than just trying to innovate an existing market that the iPod and iPhone lines have done.

The iPad is Apple’s Computer for the rest of us. By the rest of us, I mean the people who aren’t in the Technology profession. Tech Enthusiasts world over have been crying foul that the iPad is not open and they cannot install apps of their choice. I’d have loved it if Apple allowed open App Development on the iPad without being dependent on the App Store, but the fact remains in doing so they would be jeopardizing the Experience that Apple has built around its platform.

I’m a student of Computer Science and I appreciate the power that my MacBook Pro or my Dell PC offers me, but everytime my Mom wants to send an email to somebody there are just too many steps involved with both of these platforms. But she understands how the iPhone works, it really is that simple. When I showed her the iPad video the only thing she said was I’d love to have this thing.

And it is then that realization struck me that Apple isn’t making the iPad for us Tech Enthusiasts who live by the night trying to code or to fix a bug but for the proverbial Mom who is looking for simple solutions to her problems.

Does she need Photoshop on her iPad? Does she need something like uTorrent running on her iPad? Heck No. I could easily say that atleast 80% of the Internet Connected Population uses the Internet for just EMail, Chat, Social Networking and Blogs. And the iPad solves the problem of the majority and not that of us minority who live by Technology.

Before I proceed further I want you all to watch the iPad Introduction Video. Watch it till the end, and try to gel everything that I’ve said thus far with what you see.

So why is that Tech Bloggers, the Media is calling the iPad a big failure?

First of all the print industry is scared to deaths that iPad will take over the Publishing industry. I can very well see the day when we will be reading magazines in full color and gloss on an iPad flipping through the pages just like what we do in a real magazine or a book.

And Second us the Tech Bloggers, Coders, Programmers, Computer Mechanics or whatever. We are obviously scared that we will loose our God like status in the society. Have you ever seen the pleasure that a Techie derives when he helps the average guy next door send an email or fix whatever the issue with his PC not booting up.

With the iPad, Apple is giving all these average next door neighbors a device so sexy and so easy that they won’t need us Techies anymore. Everything is so obvious and straightforward on the iPad. There are no crashes, no viruses, no weird phenomena that we have to come to associate with computing in general over the past decade.

And this is why the iPad is quite literally touching the future. No more confusing User Interfaces. Apple has taken a big step forward with the iPad. Having read elsewhere that iPad is what Apple set out to build, and the iPhone is actually is its child I can very well predict an exciting future for Apple’s MultiTouch Computing Platform.

But that does not mean iPad is not without issues. Here are some things I’d like Apple to fix before the iPad enters the market or atleast in the next product revision.

MultiTaskingYes MultiTasking is a must on the iPad. It makes more sense on an iPhone to not have Multi Tasking with its limited screen estate, but the iPad a big no no. Multi Tasking is a must on the iPad.

However there are already rumors that iPhone/iPad OS 4.0 will bring Multi Tasking to the platform. Here’s to hoping that these rumors are true.

USB InterfaceA USB Interface is again a big request. I’d love to see an easy way to transfer my Photos from my Camera and upload it to Facebook or Flickr just like iPhoto already does on the Mac.I’d love to be able to complete my Spreadsheet on Numbers and plug in a USB Printer when I arrive at the office and take a quick printout to show it to my boss. The Applications are endless, so please Apple throw in a USB Connector.

Video CameraThis is more of a novelty though but it would be nice to do Video Chats with my friends while on the move. Ofcourse a Camera on the back is pretty much pointless because I don’t see people taking pictures with the iPad, but a front facing Camera will be welcome.

So does Apple have a Winner with the iPad? I’d say, Yes! The fundamental we compute is about to change. And Will I buy an iPad? Probably not the first revision, but definitely later. The iPad will make for an amazing second computer.

I have to say that I've been agreeing with the “iPad is a failure” posts so far, but after reading your post I automatically thought “hey, my mom would like something like this.” You are right, I think many of us techies are so appalled since the platform is so locked down and we can't do what we want, but when some average, everyday computer user wants to do something quick, it is perfect for them. I myself am not going to get one, at least not the first generation one. I hope they make some improvements on the next model. (Multitasking, USB, and Camera are the biggies for me).

exactly all the tech savvy guys get to have their fingers gliding over iphone ipod and what not screens..nobody bothers about people without fingers?!! what i meant is to keep it simple is also technology..dont know much about these gadgets so i refrain from commenting..what i can say is the evolved writeup and analogy! again simple and nothing over hyped! cheers

On the other hand, however, my Mom is usually either at home, or at work, and she only ever needs to check her email when she's at one of these two places. Both of these places already have PCs, which she has grown used to using after over a decade of much-the-same. She has no real need for a portable device that isn't portable enough to carry in her pocket, doesn't so anything that her PC can't already do, and requires a whole new approach to using the Internet.

The iPad would have been great ages ago, but I think there's too much institutionalization with regards to the way things have been before for it to really have the impact it should.

Also, I definitely think USB/Firewire should have been first and foremost on this thing. Virtually every major drawback with the lack of camera, external memory, etc. could be solved with a USB post and your old legacy peripherals.

what about all those poor users that ; like me that actually like windows type complicated devices, the people that metaphorically like their cars in manual rather than automatic?that enjoy customization compared to that standardized toy? what i'm scared of is the tech products dieing and the world becoming an automatic peace of crap who's speed is regulated.

The iPad could have been a good “mom machine”, but in the end, it fails: there are too many inconsistencies and too many things just don't work. Every app has a different way of invoking menus, settings, search, and go-back. Undo doesn't even exist in many apps. Services like Facebook need to be configured separately and differently in every app. The web browser sometimes displays mobile sites and sometimes full sites, fails to render the Flash games my mother likes to play, and even when the stars align correctly still fails mysteriously with distressing frequency (like… I couldn't post to this thread from the iPad). Not even cut-and-paste works consistently. Moms have no tolerance for that kind of b.s.

Like OS X, the iPad promises ease of use but falls way short; in the end, it's just another geek machine, albeit for a different kind of geek. What the iPad is good for is replacing a Kindle. For an easy to use “mom machine”, we still have to wait; Chrome OS on a netbook looked pretty promising.

To say there are no crashes is actually a stretch. I have an iPhone and friends of mine had the iPad. Guess what? They both have apps that crash. As for viruses, give it time. When people have a reason to create a virus, they will. Do you really think this platform is impervious to viruses and that it is not possible to create one? I have said it a thousand times, hackers only want to do this stuff when there is reason to. Apple never had enough market domination to warrant the time investment. Trust me though, when there is reason they will do it. People should really get their heads out of their ass and think logically.

Nice analysis, nice read!
Well, I believe Apple is ahead and everybody else will never catch up because of lack of apps, or no ecosystem or learning curve.
Just see how many app developers like iFunia live on it.